"Wei was recruited via social media in 2022 by an intelligence officer who portrayed himself as a naval enthusiast working for the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, prosecutors said. Evidence presented in court showed Wei told a friend that the person was extremely suspicious and that it was quite obviously espionage. Wei disregarded the friend's advice to delete the contact and instead moved conversations with the intelligence officer to a different encrypted messaging app he believed to be more secure, prosecutors said."
"The other, Wenheng Zhao, was sentenced to more than two years in 2024 after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of receiving a bribe in violation of his official duties. For years, US officials have expressed concern about the espionage threat they say the Chinese government poses, and prosecutors have pursued criminal cases against Beijing intelligence operatives who have allegedly stolen sensitive government and commercial information, including through illegal hacking."
A former United States Navy sailor received a 200-month sentence in San Diego for selling technical and operating manuals and sensitive information to a Chinese intelligence officer. Prosecutors said the 25-year-old engineer for the amphibious assault ship USS Essex was paid more than $12,000 and was convicted on six counts including espionage. Recruitment occurred via social media in 2022 by an individual posing as a naval enthusiast affiliated with the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. Evidence showed Wei told a friend the contact seemed suspicious but continued communications and moved them to an encrypted app he believed was more secure. A co-defendant, Wenheng Zhao, received a shorter sentence after a guilty plea.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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